Andrea Sibaja

Andrea Sibaja Moreno is a Spanish motorcycle racer from Córdoba, Andalusia, who went from watching races on TV as a teenager to competing in the inaugural WorldWCR series in 2024—proof that starting late doesn’t mean staying behind.

EARLY YEARS

Born around 1992 in Córdoba, southern Spain, Andrea Sibaja didn’t grow up in a racing family. There were no mechanics in the garage, no karting on weekends, no legacy to uphold. What she did have was a television and an unshakable obsession. At 13, she started watching elite-level motorcycle races, mesmerized by the speed, the strategy, the sheer audacity of it all. She dreamed of being out there herself, but opportunity wasn’t exactly knocking down her door.

By 16, she’d saved enough to get her 125cc license and bought her first street bike—a Yamaha YZF 125cc. She rode as a fan, soaking up everything she could about motorcycles while nursing a dream that seemed increasingly improbable. At 18, she finally got her shot: a pitbike race at Campillos circuit on a 160cc machine. She’d later call it an “unforgettable day,” which is the kind of understatement you’d expect from someone who’d just found her life’s calling.

She graduated with a degree in Tourism, a practical fallback that suggests she understood the long odds of making it as a professional racer. But practical doesn’t mean passionate, and Sibaja was never going to settle for watching from the sidelines.

OTHER INTERESTS

Beyond racing, Andrea Sibaja keeps her cards close. There’s no public record of hobbies, creative pursuits, or side projects—no carefully curated Instagram feed of yoga retreats or artisan coffee obsessions. What’s clear is that motorcycles aren’t just her career; they’re her entire world. As she put it herself in 2019: “Once I tried motorcycling I was unable to get rid of that adrenaline and addiction to speed.” When racing is both your profession and your passion, there’s not much room left for anything else.

EARLY SUCCESS

Starting at 18 meant Sibaja had to play catch-up in a sport where most competitors have been racing since they could walk. She arrived just as the industry was transitioning from two-stroke to four-stroke bikes, and her adult frame meant she couldn’t ease in on smaller machines. She jumped straight to 600cc bikes with minimal experience—a baptism by fire that was physically, mentally, and financially brutal.

“A lot of money which I didn’t have,” she admitted in a 2024 interview. “My team helped me a lot. I wouldn’t be here today without my team’s help.” That team was DEZA – BOX 77 Racing Team, led by Luis Castro, a former racer who became her director and mentor. Castro had a similar story—no racing family, just raw determination—and his support proved invaluable. He even gave her a racing number derived from the team name, marking the year of his birth.

In 2014, just four years after her first pitbike race, Sibaja became the Andalusia Series 600 champion—the only female competitor in the series. She followed that up with a runner-up finish in the Spain Women’s 600cc Cup in 2015, then took second place in the Spanish national Women’s Open 600 in 2016. It was a remarkable run for someone who’d started so late, but it wasn’t without cost.

Just as she was beginning to understand the intricacies of professional racing, she suffered a major crash. What followed was a brutal cycle of injuries and surgeries that kept her off the bike for 18 months. For someone who’d described herself as “addicted” to speed, the forced break must have been excruciating. But she came back—because of course she did.

NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS

• 2014: Andalusia Series 600 champion (only female competitor)
• 2015: Runner-up, Spain Women’s 600cc Cup
• 2016: 2nd place, Spanish national Women’s Open 600
• 2017: Wildcard entries in WorldSSP300 at Aragon and Jerez (4th Spanish woman in world championship speed racing, following Elena Rosell, Ana Carrasco, and María Herrera)
• 2020: Runner-up, Andalusia Open 600 (only woman competing against men); 2nd place, Spanish national Women’s Open 600
• 2021: 2nd place, Spanish national Women’s Open 600
• 2022: 2nd place, Spanish national Women’s Open 600
• 2024: Competed in inaugural WorldWCR series with DEZA – BOX 77 Racing Team; also served as team director for the team’s WorldSSP300 program with riders Iván Bolaño and Pepe Osuna

INSPIRATIONS

When asked about her racing heroes, Sibaja points to Marc Márquez, the MotoGP legend known as much for his resilience as his talent. “Marc Márquez me parece un gran referente en MotoGP. Su forma de sobreponerse,” she said—praising his ability to overcome adversity. Given her own history of injuries and comebacks, the admiration makes perfect sense.

Closer to home, Luis Castro has been both mentor and mirror. Like Sibaja, he came from outside the racing world and built his team from scratch. His belief in her potential—and his willingness to back it financially—gave her the foundation she needed when resources were scarce and opportunities scarcer.

REPUTATION

Within the paddock, Sibaja is known as a fighter—someone who’s faced down injuries, financial constraints, and the simple fact of being a woman in a male-dominated sport, and kept showing up. Her story has been featured in profiles highlighting her dedication and resilience, with the racing media painting her as a proud Spanish representative who earned her place through sheer determination.

Her dual role in 2024—competing in WorldWCR while directing the WorldSSP300 team—demonstrates both her versatility and her commitment to the sport beyond her own ambitions. It’s one thing to race; it’s another to invest in the infrastructure that helps others race too.

She’s not the loudest voice in the paddock, and she’s not the most decorated. But she’s carved out a reputation as someone who refuses to quit, even when the odds—and the injuries—suggest she probably should. That kind of grit doesn’t go unnoticed.

FUTURE GOALS/PLANS

As of 2024, Sibaja’s future plans remain largely private. She’s committed to DEZA – BOX 77 Racing Team, both as a WorldWCR competitor and as team director for their WorldSSP300 program, but specific goals for 2025 and beyond haven’t been publicly stated. What’s clear is that she’s not going anywhere—not after fighting this hard to get here. The long-term sponsorship with Deza suggests stability, and her dual role indicates she’s thinking about the sport’s future as much as her own.

Whether she’s aiming for a WorldWCR title, expanding her team director responsibilities, or plotting her next move, one thing’s certain: Andrea Sibaja didn’t spend years clawing her way into professional racing just to coast.

References:

WorldSBK – Andrea Sibaja Profile
Paddock Sorority – Andrea Sibaja Interview (June 15, 2024)
WorldSBK Spanish – Andrea Sibaja Detailed Biography
GPOne – Andrea Sibaja Interview (July 30, 2024)
Motociclismo.es – WorldSSP300 Wildcard Coverage
Motosan – Andrea Sibaja on Marc Márquez
Wikidata – Andrea Sibaja Basic Profile
SmartMotoriders – Andrea Sibaja Self-Description (July 11, 2019)